Canton Lake
Fulton County, IllinoisView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Canton Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 43 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Canton Lake in Fulton County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 65 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 46.1 µg/L.
Canton Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Fulton County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 43 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2022-10-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Canton Lake has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Canton Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Canton Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Canton Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Canton Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Canton Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 65 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 46.1 µg/L. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 65µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 46.1µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 65 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Canton Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Canton Lake typically sits around 62°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 82°F) and coldest in Oct (about 62°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (62°F) to its warmest (82°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 227 field readings (2011–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Canton Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~43 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Illinois EPA
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Illinois has not published bathymetry for Canton Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
15 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
161 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
587 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Canton LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Canton Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Canton Lake in Fulton County, Illinois — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Canton Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Canton Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Canton Lake → · more Illinois lake trips
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Fishing Canton Lake
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
4 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Canton Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Canton West Stp, City OfCanton · 3.6 mi away · NPDES IL0027839MajorRecent violation
- Noah Kesselmayer Private Sewage Disposal SystemCanton · 0.3 mi away · NPDES IL0080279Recent violation
- Jason Atterberry Private Sewage Disposal SystemCanton · 0.3 mi away · NPDES IL0080307
- Aventine Renewable Energy - Canton LlcCanton · 3.2 mi away · NPDES IL0076830
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Fulton County
Frequently asked questions about Canton Lake
Where is Canton Lake?
- Canton Lake is a lake in Fulton County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Canton Lake?
- Canton Lake in Fulton County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 65 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 46.1 µg/L.
Is Canton Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Canton Lake?
- Canton Lake typically sits around 62°F at the surface in October, from 227 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Canton Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Canton Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 43 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Canton Lake?
- Canton Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Canton Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Canton Lake?
- Canton Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Illinois's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Canton Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
48 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- illinois epa
IL_EPA_WQX48 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- MEASURED IN FIELD
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory